The Big Fix free spay/neuter clinic off to a big start

OKANOGAN – The Big Fix free spay and neuter clinic that began early Monday morning, May 6, at the Okanogan Fairgrounds Agriplex and will run through Thursday, May 9, got off to a running start when many clients with their pets were asked to return after the opening day numbers quickly reached staff capacity to treat them.

How popular is it?

At 6:45 a.m., the Facebook site for Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR) posted that the clinic was already at capacity for the first day.

Brewster volunteer Mike Ostrom, who has been trapping felines locally for about two and a half years, arrived early at the event with 28 cats he found in his traps at 5:30 a.m. Monday. Ostrom said the professional trappers working with Greater Good Charities/Good Fix brought in even more.

“There was a couple other trapping teams out that trapped 90,” Ostrom told The Quad Monday morning. “Right now, there are 120 feral cats to be fixed,” Ostrom said at the time of his report,

The well-publicized event's stated goal is to treat more than 1,000 animals over the four-day clinic. Early indications are that the clinic will easily reach that target and then some.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. for the next three days, so pot owners who want a spot need to be on site earlier than that. The TOAR Facebook site (facebook.com/teamOKanimalrescue) offers a few tips:

• No food for animals after midnight.
• All pets must be at least 2 pounds and two months old.
• The intake on a first-come basis is slow for safety reasons, so be patient.
• Cats (only one per carrier) must be in a secure carrier with a usable door,
• Please remain in your vehicles. Bring snacks for the wait.
• Bring any up-to-date pet vaccination records, otherwise, your pet will be vaccinated. A rabies tag is not a medical record.

The Big Fix is a collaborative event between TOAR and Good Fix, a Greater Good Charities program. 

Greater Good Charities is a global nonprofit organization whose mission is “to help people, pets, and the planet by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good,” according to its website, greatergood.org/good-fix.

Since 2021, Good Fix has been addressing cat and dog overpopulation throughout the U.S. Toward that end, Good Fix teams have spayed and neutered more than 58,000 cats and dogs. Specially trained surgical personnel and professional trappers work with local community shelters and organizations like TOAR. 

TOAR (teamokanimalrescue.org), founded in 2022, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media